At Grades of Green, Environmental Justice is central to our mission of educating and empowering students to take action and lead environmental change, ensuring a clean and sustainable environment for generations to come. Any solution to an environmental problem can only be truly sustainable when all individuals are valued, supported, and empowered.
We are excited to highlight young Black climate activists who are at the forefront of the climate movement this Black History Month and beyond.
Leah Thomas Leah Thomas leads Intersectional Environmentalist, a nonprofit organization focused on equity and diversity in the environmental movement. Leah and her team seek impactful stories that help shift the narrative of environmentalism towards values that are rooted in environmental justice. Using their large social platform, Intersectional Environmentalist amplifies the voices of BIPOC, LGBTQ2S+, and Disability justice activists.
Amariyanna Copeny
Amariyanna "Mari" Copeny began her journey as an environmental hero at only 8 years old. Living in Flint, Michigan, she noticed the lack of clean water in her city. It was found that the city of Flint received water from an urban waste disposal area, the Flint River. Mari became the voice for her city, advocating for environmental justice in her community. At age 16, she continues her advocacy for social justice, bringing awareness to small communities that often go unheard.
Kobe Harris Kobe Harris is the creator of his self-titled small business, Kobee's, an innovative company dedicated to resolving the climate crisis through lip balm. In addition to using only natural ingredients and compostable packaging, the profits from each lip balm purchased are donated to environmental nonprofits around the world.
Learn More from Communities of Color
Aerin Monroe, a student from Cal Poly Humboldt, is on a mission to highlight the intersections of racial and climate justice in California. In his mini docu-series, Sowing Seeds, Aerin delves into the healing potential of natural spaces for Black people, Indigenous people, and communities of color. With his guests, Aerin discusses the importance of teaching ancestral knowledge to the youth of today as a solution to achieving climate justice for all.
Ngalim, a LAUNCH Eco-Toolkit facilitator, is leading six schools across Cameroon's North West and South West Regions utilizing the lessons from our toolkits. Ngalim is empowering students to become environmental stewards by having them identify climate challenges such as waste management, deforestation, agricultural insecurity, and water scarcity. Then, using Grades of Green toolkits, students are further educated about each topic, inspiring action and commitment to environmental advocacy.
Zachary Fox, a student in our RISE Climate Solutions Campaign, recently spoke with Laetania Belai Djandam, a 22 year-old Indonesian Indigenous environmental activist on his podcast, We The Children. As a member of the Dayak tribe, Laetania's main focus areas are Indigenous land rights, climate justice, and climate intersectionality. In this episode, learn about Belai’s homeland and heritage, why indigenous land rights are an important issue, and ask the question...
Our SOAR students completed the final tour of this program year with Subaru Pacific! In their tour, SOAR students learned about how the dealership recycles water, mitigates waste, and creates an environment for plants to absorb emissions through intentional landscape design. The students walked through their car wash to see how Subaru Pacific recycles water after every wash. In the customer service area, they explored a "green wall" display highlighting the work Subaru does in the sustainability space, including their zero waste manufacturing facility in Indiana and their amazing work with Grades of Green!
Want to learn more about how you can build a career in sustainability? Register for our Green Jobs Panel on April 30th!
Ready, Set, GREEN!
Need help forming a student team with a passion for sustainability on your campus for Earth Month? Check out our How to Form a Green Team LAUNCH Eco-Toolkit to help you get started and in no time, your students will become sustainability superstars! Click here to LAUNCH Your Green Team!
Join us in empowering a generation that will make a difference for our planet and future generations.
